Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob speaks at the 18th Annual Archbishop’s Reception for Catholic Relief Services, where tiny shoes adorn the cocktail tables as reminders of the at-risk children around the world who depend on CRS programs. (Submitted photos)
Tiny shoes adorned the cocktail tables in the second-floor reception hall of the Wisconsin Club one evening last month — poignant reminders of the small feet all around the world who must walk the path of poverty, displacement and violence.
“It’s just heartbreaking to see, but it’s also inspiring to know that there was a child — and there is a child — who needs our help,” master of ceremonies Portia Young told the crowd gathered for the 18th Annual Archbishop’s Reception for Catholic Relief Services.
The annual reception raises awareness and funds within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for the mission of CRS, the humanitarian arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Organized by a committee composed of CRS personnel and supporters and archdiocesan representatives, this year’s event Sept. 15 focused on the theme “Support Children, Strengthen the World.”
That focus was sharpened by the sobering reality that CRS has suffered “a dramatic reduction in U.S. (government) aid” during this fiscal year, said Young, who noted that “these cuts mean loss of access to food, loss of access to clean water, shelter, maternal care, health care, treatment for diseases that are rampant in the world” for millions of people who depend on CRS programs.
“This is a moment for leadership … it’s a time for vision. It’s also a time for solidarity,” Young said.
CRS was formed in 1943 by the USCCB to administer humanitarian aid to survivors of World War II in Europe. Today, more than 198 million people in 134 countries are impacted by CRS programs that are carried out in partnership with almost 2,000 organizations around the world. These programs bring food, healthcare, educational opportunities, housing, disaster relief and other crucial support to populations in need.
Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob described the mission of CRS as “essential” and “core to who we are,” reflecting in his remarks to the audience on the ever-present need of the world’s poor.
“Nothing is casual about human suffering. It can never be,” he said. “It’s our opportunity now to see what we can do to bring hope, especially very profoundly in this Jubilee Year, (which has) the theme of hope. But it just doesn’t end after a year … the service of the Gospel, the work of Catholic Relief Services, it’s day in and day out.”
The evening’s keynote speaker was Michelle Ryan, Regional Director for Asia of Catholic Relief Services, who traveled from Cambodia to share her experiences of “families and communities that have inspiring resilience but that face extreme hardship and suffering,” she said.
Ryan has led emergency response programs in Haiti, Afghanistan, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and held leadership positions in CRS offices in Uganda, Jerusalem, Gaza’s West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
“We serve everyone regardless of race or religion,” she said. “Despite these diversities, the one thing that I found everywhere I’ve gone is that for (all) communities, their number one priority is children.”
Ryan discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where CRS has been able to provide shelter, food, water, sanitation and psychosocial support to 1.78 million refugees since the outbreak of war two years ago. She shared a video sent to her by one CRS program manager playing peekaboo with her infant daughter while bombs exploded in the background. The staff member was utilizing a play-based coping skill that CRS workers teach to refugee children to strengthen their emotional resilience.
“So as bombs and rockets were breaking down around her, she couldn’t do anything to protect her (daughter’s) physical safety, she played a peekaboo game to create that emotional safety,” Ryan said.
There are currently 102 CRS staff members in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, including 66 in Gaza and 22 in the West Bank. CRS maintains pipelines for food and the entry of goods into Gaza and the West Bank from Jordan and Egypt.
“We know with the foreign assistance cuts that have happened, resources are even more constrained than ever,” she said. “There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. In today’s world, it takes a global village to protect the most vulnerable children.”
The evening closed with remarks from John Borgen, CEO of Catholic Financial Life, a reception sponsor and longtime supporter of CRS. On behalf of Catholic Financial Life, Borgen pledged a $25,000 donation to match any new or increased donation that resulted from the evening.
The world’s most vulnerable children, said Borgen, “need us now more than ever.”
“One day when we stand in front of the Almighty and are asked, ‘What did you do?’” he said, “hopefully our response will be that we all did our part, to the best of our ability, and we answered God’s call.”
